CasusalNBAFans

Die hard laker fan, here to bring you all Lakers news and NBA news.

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Lakers Second Half Preview

As I previously stated in an earlier blog, I thought the Lakers had an okay first half. The Lakers are currently tied with the clippers for the third seed 3.5 games behind the first seed. Given that we were first place in the league before Anthony Davis got injured, I say overall the Lakers will be okay once he gets back. A report came out today that he will be re-evaluated in 2 weeks.  This is amazing news because we all know the Lakers won’t repeat as champions without Anthony Davis. Although, when Anthony Davis does return, I still believe the Lakers have one thing they have to work on as a team. Their three point shooting. The two biggest threats to the Lakers repeating are the Nets and the Clippers. Both teams are currently number one and two in three point shooting. The Lakers however are 25th in the league in three point shooting. If the Lakers want any chance of beating them they have to be at least top 15 in the league. If the Lakers can get their three point shooting to where it needs to be, I don’t see any team taking them past six games in the playoffs.  They’re still top three in defense and we all know the saying, “ defense wins championships.” If the Lakers can capitalize on their mistakes from the first half once Anthony Davis comes back, they will be just where they need to be in time for a deep playoff push.

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Potential Laker Targets

Should the Lakers make a trade before the deadline or sign someone? The Lakers have two dire needs. What the Lakers need New Center Lakers need more options 01 Marc Gasol was the only option the Lakers had in free agency, but he is not cutting it. Having Marc as their only true

Hey everyone, I made a little Prezi on Potential Laker targets for trades and signings. Let me know what you think about them and if the Lakers should pursue any of these Targets!

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My All Star Weekend thoughts

I guess this years All-Star weekend wasn’t so bad. Aside from the format being completely different with all the events being on one day, they were more entertaining than I thought. The first event that went on was the celebrity 2v2 game. It was Lil Baby and 2 Chainz Vs Jack Harlow and Quavo. Even though Lil Baby looked like someone who never played basketball in his life, it was still more entertaining than the regular celebrity game. Personally I always thought a celebrity game was a little too long. Especially for the celebs who don’t play basketball, they’re just out their running. So to have a shorter game and a more competitive game even though some shots weren’t going down was a plus for me. The 3-Point contest was a no brainer for me. Stephen Curry pulled a Larry Bird and said to everyone who’s coming for second place. Not literally but figuratively. I think he could win the contest every year, but I have a feeling this will be his last. Mike Conley made it competitive by scoring 28, but you know the saying, “ Stephs gonna Steph,” and thats exactly what he did. Before the dunk contest, I thought this was gonna be the most boring contest ever, but surprisingly it wasn’t that bad. Key words not that bad. I personally felt Cassius Stanley was robbed and the 3 boys put on a nice performance. Given it was only 3 people and 2 rounds we couldn’t get the normal amount of crazy dunks fans usually see. So, now to the All-Star game. Stephen Curry, Giannis, and Damian Lillard took over the show! It was never really a contest throughout the whole game with Team Lebron dominating every quarter. Giannis went 16-16 to take home the MVP, but for me the point guards for Team Lebron is what made the game so entertaining for me. Steph, and Dame hit some shots I didn’t believe was possible to made look that easy. Both guys were just pulling up from half court with a regular shot form like it was nothing. I think next year they should add a 4-point line the way these dudes were making the shots look so easy. Damian Lillard scored the final 11 points for Team Lebron, and of course the final shot was a deep, basically half court shot. 

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What I think about the Lakers through the first half of the season.

Hey everyone, just posted episode 2 in my NBA series. Take a listen and let me know what you think

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Lakers Lose Back to Back

Imagine per ESPN.com

The Lakers on a back to back game night took a loss to the Kings 123-120. Dennis Schroder led the way with 28 points, while Kyle Kuzma had 25, and Montrezl Harrell had 26 coming off the bench. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope even was looking like his playoff self in tonight's game. It was the first game the Lakers played without Lebron James all season, and even though it was a loss, I feel like this game was a win in many positive aspects. This game allowed for players who don’t necessarily get a lot of touches and shots without Lebron James being on the floor to flourish and find their own groove. It allowed Alfonzo McKinnie who doesn’t play a lot get a chance to step up and show why he should be in the rotation when games come back after the all star break. He had 11 points in 16 minutes of play, and if he continues to do this while getting some extra opportunities with players being out, he can potentially become a part of the rotation on a consistent basis. Kuzma who many believe should be averaging more points took a step back in a scoring role this season and just wants to do what the team needs of him. I think this game could be a big wake up call for Kuz to start looking to create his own shot when Lebron comes back. While Lebron is on the floor Kuz is usually getting his shots off of things Lebron creates, but this game only proves that Kuz is more than capable of creating his own shot and making them. The theme for the games with Anthony Davis out is that when Lebron goes to the bench, everything starts going terribly wrong on offense, and that's in part due to Kuz needing to be the one who provides the spark off the bench along with Montrezl but doesn’t happen. Doing these things in such a close loss without Lebron or Anthony Davis has to only give these guys more confidence for when Lebron comes back because now they know they’re capable of scoring a lot of points without Lebron, and with him the total points scored can only go up.

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I talk about what this years dunk contest contestants, and why I believe its a disgrace to the Dunk Contest name.

Guys I just uploaded a new episode in a new series I just started. Today’s episode is about this years Dunk contest and why I believe its a disgrace to even call it a NBA Dunk Contest.

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Lakers lose after 2 game win streak

Image from ESPN.

The Lakers take a tough game against the Suns 114-104. The Lakers were without MArc Gasol and Kyle Kuzma along with Anthony Davis who was already out. Lebron James led the way with 38 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block. He was the only laker starter with a positive +/- rating. The Lakers had 3 other people besides Lebron who had 10 points or more, while the Suns had five scoring 15 or more. When you let players who don’t usually score a lot, it gives the whole team confidence, and the suns capitalized on that. The same thing that has affected the Lakers all season happened once again against the Suns. The teams they’re facing always seem to get hot from 3 against them. The Suns shot 16/29 from 3 while the Lakers shot 11/31.In  Laker loses when teams make 15 or more threes they lose almost every time. Somehow they’re number 1 in the league in terms of defensive efficiency, but can’t figure out how to guard the 3 point line. The Lakers need to figure this little defensive bug they have early before it becomes a habit. I know they don’t have Anthony Davis who makes up for a lot of missed defensive assignments, but figuring out without him will only make it easier when he comes back. The Lakers play the Kings next as this will be their last game before the All Star break. After the game Lakers reporter Mike Trudell tweeted, “ LeBron did not make the trip to Sacramento tonight for the second leg of this back-to-back ahead of the All-Star break; he stayed in L.A. and will get treatment tomorrow. He’s been listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain for several games.” Not having Lebron and Anthony Davis will be the first time the role players have to really step up. The West playoff race is looking pretty tight right now, and even losing a couple more games can really affect their placing in the long run.

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Lakers snap 4 game losing streak

The Lakers defeated the Blazers 102-93 backed by Lebron James’ 28 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks! It was also Dennis Schröder’s first game back from Health and Safety protocols and it sure helped the Lakers break that four game winning streak providing 22 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and some needed hustle, diving for loose balls and playing very scrappy defense on Damian Lillard. Lillard only scored 11 points in the second half and that was a big key in their defensive scheme before the game. The Lakers started off the a little slow being down 29-24 after the first quarter. It was close going into the half with the Lakers scoring 30 in the second while the blazers scored 28. The biggest difference in the game was the third quarter. Out of the half, the Lakers were playing with a sense of urgency we haven’t seen since Anthony Davis has been gone. Then went to go on a 14-4 run that cracked open the lead by 11. The Lakers never looked back after. After the game, Lebron James per espn said, “ His energy alone gives us a spark,” talking about Schroder, “His competitive nature gives us a spark. To have him back in our lineup just means so much to our team. It was big-time.” This only further proves how much of an impact Dennis really is out there. Although this was their first win in a week, this was a good learning game to figure out what the Lakers need to do to win their next stretch of games before the all star break.

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Lakers lose four straight.

The Lakers have just lost their fourth straight game. They lost against the Utah Jazz last night 114-89. This is by far their worst loss of the season. Lebron James recorded 19 points, four rebounds, and four assists while only playing 28 minutes. The first quarter the Lakers came out hot scoring 23 points on 10/21 shooting, but it was never a contest after that shooting only 40 percent for the rest of the game. Once again the three point shot wasn’t falling. They shot 1/7 in the first quarter, and 8/33 for the whole game. To put this in perspective, the Utah Jazz made six three’s in the first quarter, and 22 for the game. The Lakers are missing Anthony Davis, but this gives no excuse for the team. The team preaches the next man up mentality, but have yet to produce. These past four losses they are shooting a combined 156/356 (44%) from the field and 44/152 (29%) from the three point line. They need to figure something out to get out of this slump, either get more shots up after practice, or only do shooting drills at practice. The Lakers next matchup is against the Blazers who have been hot as of late. If they can shoot the ball better they will finally look like the defending champions. Dennis Schröder comes back Friday as well so hopefully he can give the Lakers the push they need on offense. 

Photo Creds to ESPN.com

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The Lakers need another big man.

If you ask me, the Lakers have multiple different things they need to do before the trade deadline is up. Now that Anthony Davis is out, they need at least one more big man. I’ve been saying from the start Marc Gasol isn't the answer for the center position. Marc Gasol had the best game of his Laker career against the Timberwolves, but how often can they rely on him to put up those numbers consistently? Montrezl Harrell is having an amazing year so far, but only averages 6 rebounds a game. Marc averages four. Thats ten rebounds a game from both the big man they have active on their roster. Blake Griffin has been the talks around the league lately, and I think he can provide that extra little boost we need while Anthony Davis is gone if he is bought out from the Pistons. He is averaging 12.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Blake Griffin will never be what he was on the Clippers for the Lakers, but if he can provide a role like Dwight Howard did last season, this next couple weeks will be a whole lot less stressful for Laker fans. Lebron is 36, and he shouldn't have to pick the rebounding load up since Davis is out. Another option the Lakers can take is trading for Mo Bamba from the Magic. He only averages 8 minutes a game, but gets 5 points, and 4 rebounds. I think the Lakers need to move on from Marc Gasol, and get a center who is a certified seven footer, a better rebounder, and a better shot blocker. With Davis out, who was the majority of their rim protection, Marc Gasol isn't what he used to be around the rim. Mo has a 7′10 wingspan and came into the league known as a defensive force. If somehow the lakers can pull this trade off, it will add to the already number one defensive team in the league and once Davis comes back that defensive monster of him and Mo will remind me of the 03-04 Pistons squad with Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace down low.

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Anthony Davis out 3-4 weeks after he re-aggravated his Achilles Injury

Anthony Davis being out 3-4 weeks is going to be a big blow for Lakers fans. Earlier this month he originally aggravated his Achilles against the Pistons. It kept him out for two games, but he returned against the Nuggets. He played only two quarters before he aggravated it once more. Thankfully he had a MRI done on Monday confirming that he didn't rupture his Achilles. However, the organization said Davis would be re-evaluated by their doctors when they returned to Los Angeles. Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN said he would miss at least three to four weeks. Coach Frank Vogel says, “ He’s going to be re-evaluated when we get back, but it’s unlikely that we bring him back before the break. But we’ll see. Certainly we’re going to be cautious with this type of injury, and we’ll see how he responds to treatment and re-evaluate him in a couple weeks.” I think the Lakers messed up big time here. They brought back Anthony Davis back way too quick. This reminds me of the Kevin Durant situation in Golden State, however thankfully Davis didn't rupture his Achilles. The Lakers need to be the most cautious they’ve ever been with Davis and keep him out until he's 110% ready, or their hopes of repeating as champions will die out.

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The Lakers win 115-105 after trailing 22-2 in the first quarter! This team I feel is forming really nicely, and Anthony Davis is starting to find his rhythm. 

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Hey everyone, my name is Matthew Benson and welcome to my new blog! On this blog I plan on sharing mainly the latest Lakers news and stats, but I plan on also covering the rest of the NBA and the daily news that comes out. My goal for this blog is to create an environment where people find NBA news that intrigues them and to have daily discussions on all the big topics in the NBA, and have debates on how the games the night before went. 

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